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Truth about Harvard Summer School?

Does anyone have been to Harvard Summer School BEFORE? Were u really able to build personal relationships with professors if u perform well in classes?
I am a high school junior from China and is now facing a dilemma. I got into Harvard Summer School 2012, but if I go there,I will have to skip my Final Exams. Any suggestions?What should I do? Thanks for any advice!

Replies to: Truth about Harvard Summer School?

In my humble opinion, Harvard SSP is overpriced and mediocre.
Contrary to popular belief, the program does not help you get into Harvard; additionally, a number of colleges regard these "expensive programs" in low esteem, considering that they discriminate against low-income students. The class sizes are generally large, but that may only apply to popular general classes -- if you choose a more specialized and/or higher level class, you'll probably have a smaller class-size and therefore be able to form a closer relationship with the teacher (I did not have this privilege, as I chose a more general class.)

In summary, it is my understanding that one of the primary motivations for Harvard SSP is to make money. Their gross-profit on this program is probably significant, and they generally feed from rich students. However, take my words sparingly -- depending on your luck, this could be a gross generalization. As to whether you should skip your finals to attend, I would vote against doing so.

The Harvard site clearly states that this in no way aids college admissions.
It can be an interesting experience and a way to see how you can cope with college in the states as an international student.

Also, you can take more advanced courses/esoteric courses that are not offered in your highschool like beggininng Greek/Latin or a craplaod of stuff like that.

BTW you guys can join the Harvard SSP group on facebook, its linked to from the main ssp page.

The truth is that this program targets rich kids oveseas like yourself. And the summer school professors might not be from Harvard either, same with the extension program. They often are lecturers from U Mass.

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